ESP8266 Tutorial: How to Control Anything From the Internet!

In this ESP8266 tutorial, we are using an ESP-01 module to control an LED over the internet. The ESP8266 is a very cheap yet really effective platform for communicating over the internet. It is also easy to use with an Arduino. After going through this ESP8266 tutorial, you will have the know-how to control any electrical device through the internet from anywhere in the world!

Here, we will be using an USB to TTL converter to program the Esp8266 ESP-01 module.And we’ll be using the Arduino IDE to develop the web server to control an LED remotely. If you just bought your module, you can also refer my previous ESP8266 tutorial to see how to get started with the ESP-01 Wi-Fi module. It also shows how you can configure it and verify that there is communication established between the ESP8266 and another device without using a USB to TTL converter.

Bill of Materials

How Does it Work?

The ESP8266 can be controlled from your local wifi network or from the internet (after port forwarding). The ESP-01 module has GPIO pins that can be programmed to turn an LED or a relay ON/OFF through the internet. The module can be programmed using an Arduino/USB to TTL converter through the serial pins (RX,TX).

Connecting the Hardware to Your ESP8266

We can either use a USB to TTL converter or use an Arduino to program the Esp8266. Here there are three methods you can follow to upload the code to ESP8266, select the one which suits you best. Refer the following diagrams for each and set up the hardware accordingly.